Crate



May 16, 1933. H. E. WENDELL CRATE Filed March 9, 1952 INVENTOR- rvzaz l/ndeZ BY M T v ATTORNEY WITNESS pff/M? Patented May I6, 1933 stares PATENT@ OFFICE HERMAN E. WENDELI., E sr. iErEasrUEee,v ELoEInA, AssrGNoE 0E ONETTHIED To PAUL HoENLErN, or sm; PETERSBURG, FLORIDA, AND ONE-THIRD rro DUNCAN M.

MOODIE', OF MELROSE, MASSACHUSETTS CRATE Application led March 9, 19322- Serial No. 597,816.

My invention relates to improvements in crates of the type used particularly for citrus fruits, such as grapefruit, oranges, etc., and it consists in the constructions, combination, and arrangement of parts herein described and claimed. t

In the manufacture of crates for shipping citrus fruits and the like, the makers of these crates proceed according to certain prescribed rules relating to sizes, shapes, material, ventilation, etc., so as to secure a uniform stan-d- Y ard. In making the ordinary crate there are numerous operations and many parts. The

' nailing of the crates in itself takes considerable time and as each separate operation adds to the time it also adds to the cost of the crate. rlhe fact that there are so many parts in the ordinary crate and that these parts have to all be handled separately, makes the manufacture Iof a crate more compiex than one would ordinarily think.

An object of my invention is to provide a crate which is made without the use of nails or staples and which consists of a minimum numb-er of parts.

A further object .of the invention is to provide a crate having metal end portions and means carried by these end portions for not only securing the ends of wooden side members thereto but for holding them in spaced relation.

A still further objectief the invention is to provide a box having a minimum of parts which can be assembled with a minimum number of operations, thus resulting in a box which can be manufactured cheaply.

My invention Vis illustrated in the accompanying drawing forming part of this applicati-on, in which Figure 1 is -a perspective View ofa completed crate,

Figure 2 is a transverse vertical section, and

Figure 3 is a horizontal section.

In carrying out my invention I provide metal end portions such as those shown in the drawing. These metal end portions are similar in construction and a description of one will suiiice for both. In the drawing I have shown a rectangular body portion 4 formed .of sheet metal. This body portion has integral ianges 5, 6, 7 and 8 which are bent at right angles to the body porti-on, then outwardly, and then back again, thus providing a U-shaped groove along each edge of the body portion.

The side membersarewooden slats. The

assembled the metal end members are placed in machines and then the flanges are crimped, as shown at 16; that is to say, they are bent over the edges of the adjacent wooden side members. The ends of the ianges are turned inwardly at 17. As will be seen from Figure 3, these turned-in portions 17 are on the opposite edges of the slats from the crimped portions 16 and they are also at the ends of the slats 14C and l5. Thus the slats are held firmly in position while the portion 16 acts as a spacer between the side slats 10-11 and 12-13.

It will thus be seen that the making of the crate is very simple. In fact, as disclosed, there are only eight parts. In the standard half bushel crate there are approximately one hundred separate parts. I am aware that crates made of metal end pieces having flanges provided with grooves for receiving wooden side members are not broadly new,

the ends of the flanges are slightly bevelled away from each other.

A box may be made as described without, however, crimping the ends 17 of the flanges on one face of the box. This provides means for covering the box when it is filled with fruit. All that is necessary is to slip one slat into the groove 9 from one end of the flange until it engages the central crimp 16 and to slip another slat in from the other end and then turn inwardly or crimp the ends overv the outer edges of the slats by machine or by a hand tool, thus holding the cover securely in position.

In opening the box all that is necessary is to bend back the crimped portion 17 on one face of the box and then to move the slats outwardly, thus exposing the contents.

I claim A crate comprising a pair of rectangular metal end pieces, said end pieces having integral U-shaped flanges to provide grooves, the grooves of one end piece facing the other, wooden side members having their ends disposed in the grooves of said end members, said flanges being crimped to provide a spacing means between certain of said side members, the ends of said flanges being bent inwardly over the edges of the contiguous wooden side members, thereby holding said side members securely.

HERMAN E. WENDELL. 

